>> producers, take a note. >> log on to fox and friend.com and we'll see you back here tomorrow with donald, shaquille and tony. this is a fox news alert, major developments out of venezuela. hugo chavez announces his cancer returned and he's asking heismas country to consider his successor. he'll run to cube cuba surgery he says his successor should be the vice president. he's scheduled to be sworn in for a six year term january 10th. we'll keep you updated as the story develops. another fox news alert, growing outrage in egypt.

mohammed morsi withdrawing part of the decree that expanded his powers but going ahead with a referendum on a new constitution. following two weeks of unrest with demonstrators storming the presidential palace and calling for the fall of his regime. welcome to a new hour of america's news headquarters. >> good morning. >> the political crisis as jamie said is worsening in egypt. president morsi's supporters say a referendum is needed to complete a democratic transition. opponents say mr. morrissey is becoming yet another dictator. good morning, embassador. >> good morning. >> they have a new constitution, a referendum next saturday. why is it so dangerous?

>> well, the question whether morrissey can force this vote saturday is critical because the draft constitution that the constitution assembly has written is schreier friendly. it puts the doctrine into the constitution, christians and others in the country are very worried about it. they're very worried once the constitution is put into place, they may never get a real chance to change it. so the stakes are very high here for both sides, both the pro muslim brotherhood fax factions, pro mubarak factions and the smaller group of pro western, pro. that sounds like a complete islamic religious state. >> they're moving that direction. how far and how fast they can go, nobody can predict.

the point of the opponents is they don't want to take the risk and find out. if the christians fled the country out of fear of this constitution, i think the opponents of the muslim brotherhood fear, just as the lost the parliamentary election, they could lose the referendum. >> do you think the christians and other opponents, do you think they can stop is this? >> i don't think they believe they have the votes which poses a question of democratic theory if the pro democracy groups lose. christians are only 10% of the population and will vote against the constitution but the notion that large numbers of people would simply boycott the referendum and not vote in an effort to delegitimatize the

outcome shows they're pessimistic. what it comes down to as it has in the past two years is what is the military prepared to do? it's the one state institution with popular support and it's got the guts. >> the military warns of, quote, disastrous consequences if it isn't resolved. what could those consequences be? >> the military fears the chaos in the street since of decree barring the constitution writing process motivates them. can morsi cut a deal with the military that allows the referendum to go ahead under the military protection. the military is the the institun over wit the u.s. has the most influence. i hope we're applying it to slow the referendum process down.

if egypt becomes like syria or libya, you have the entire middle east in real disarray. >> we are funding billion dollars in the military but what kind of influence can we have when it seems we have not had that much in the past? >> well i think in the past two years, we've applied a considerable influence inartfully. the obama administration vacillated back and forth on what the policy was on whether to get rid of mubarak. even behind the scenes i don't think we've applied sufficient pressure on the military. the key leverage we have that the administration has is the threat to withhold funding. i must say if they don't get the message in the military from that, congress, when it comes back into session after the first of the year, i think is going to take a very close look at that. if the military wants to continue american assistance

they should listen to the administration. that is to say if the administration is talking to them and not supporting morsi for his role in things like the hamas-israel cease-fire which was announced the day before morsi announced his decree. >> they did that the day after sitting down with with secretary of state hillary clinton. >> he clearly, morsi clearly felt emboldened to take that step. what president obama in six telephone conversation with president morsi before the cease-fire, as you said secretary of state there in egypt. whether there was a wink and a nod or body language, we don't know but morsi took it he would have a free hand and i believe that's why he acted. >> we'll see what happens this saturday, the clock it ticking. six days to go. embassador john bolton, always good to see you. >> thank you. >> the fighting in syria's

spilling into neighboring lebanon. take a listen here. you can hear the gunshots. the rocket-propelled grenades and more tar fire are in the streets. supporters of bashar al-assad exchanging gunfire. more than a dozen people have been killed, more than 60 wounded. >> as unrest in other parts of the world, europe, in spain, a developing conflict over medical workers. they're taking to the streets to protest budgets cuts and plans to privatize hospitals in spain. thousands of demonstrators marched through madrid. critics say it would dismental spain's healthcare system but the government says cuts are necessary to secure health services during the recession. the countdown continues. at this point there's just over three weeks until our nation

potentially tumbles over what we call the fiscal cliff. john boehner says there's been no real progress in the negotiations between the white house and lawmakers on capitol hill. now he's accusing president obama of dragging his feet as the deadline looms. is more of the same in store for the week ahead? joining us, managing edit for of the hill. >> good morning. >> we talk about this happening and going over the cliff. speaker boehner accuses the white house of dragging its feet. >> president obama offered a proposal, republicans didn't like that plan. now the g.o.p. has countered. so the ball is in the white house's court and that's what republicans are basically waiting for. but i don't see -- i don't think you'll see real progress over the next week. we are about two weeks away from christmas. three weeks until we hit the deadline and they're nowhere.

what speaker boehner said correct. there's been no progress and there will be nor jockeying and leverage the next week. >> i want to point out in the president's weekly address that was issued yesterday, he says there's wiggle room by democrats to come up with a solution. >> that's true. that's what president obama -- he's been saying to republicans here and there, i'm willing to put more on the table but pour the moment, democrats are saying don't touch social security, don't cut medicare. this will come down to whoever blinks first on tax rates. republicans are going to bend on tax rates. maybe not $250,000 threshold, maybe closer to a million. but until that happens we won't see progress but obama will have to deal with problems on his left. he has to put entitlement reform, maybe raising the age of

medicare down the road. >> when we look towards the beginning of the year and inauguration and seating of new congressional members, you'll have about 90 new folks that have been elected to get involved in this. is there a partial solution before that? and what changes do you expect given the fact we'll have new voices? >> i definitely think new voices -- they're going to be -- whatever deal is reached this year, and i think there will be a deal up until new year's eve, then you have members who are leaving voting. that could round up the votes because they're leaving congress and likely to vote yes. but this is only the beginning. major tax reform, major reforms to entitlement are probably next year's discussion. one of new members coming in that will have to take difficult votes. that probably won't happen until the spring or summer next year. the fiscal cliff, dealing with that, it's only the beginning.

>> if you're sitting at home, whether you're in the middle class, upper class or searching for a job and slipping into lower class, why should you care about this and what can you do to affect change if washington so there's let political theater and more action? >> that's a major concern for members of congress. we're talking about the debt and deficit but the focus turned away from jobs. that's why i think the deal that is struck may not be if -- the cuts may not be effective immediately. maybe takes rates take a year to kick in because the economy is fragile. people who are out of a job don't want the economy to tank further. they want a job in 2013. congress has to be very careful to get a deal that actually doesn't put us back into recession. as you know, there's not a lot of confidence in congress so there's fear congress will mess it up. >> that's been the situation for a long time. people want to unfasten their seat belts on this.

we'll keep a close eye on it. we appreciate you joining in. >> thank you. >> from down here on earth to up there in the lunar skies, marking a huge milestone in human spaceflight. can you believe it's been 40 years since we sent the last manned mission to the moon captivating a worldwide audience. neil cavuto spent the last few months meeting with heroes who rescued everything. >> america's challenge of today, forged man's destiny of tomorrow. >> you were the last human being to touch that surface. how does that make you feel? >> humble. >> we leave as we came and god willing, we shall return. [ inaudible ] for all mankind.

godspeed to the crew of apollo 17. >> i'm convinced the space program will come back. the country needs to have something to look forward to. to look up, to be proud of. what can we do in 10,000 years? my grandmother on a farm in michigan had a ring telephone, no electricity, an outhouse and she watched the first guy walk on the moon. >> i would like to see the next generation leave footprints like we have on the moon. i hope that happens. >> wow, a shining example of inspiration and american greatness. that program tonight, 9:00 p.m., fox news special, fly me to the moon, astronauts heading space.

the never heard before stories tonight right here. you can hear from one of the mission members here in just a bit. astronaut rusty shahwihearth. >> don't miss the special. >> a shocking nfl tragedy leaves one player dead and defensive line lineman josh brent faces charges. how did it happen? what does the dallas cowboys front office say about the players? >> the flu is on the way. health officials warning of a looming crisis. why they say we could see the worst outbreak of the flu in nearly a decade. coming up, how to protect yourself and your loved ones. we'll tell you about that in "sunday house call." can i help you?

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jews all over the world are celebrating hanukkah in. new york city they kicked it off with a lighting in central park. organizerings rode a crane to a 32-foot tall menorah. the lamps are enclosed in glass

with chimneys to protect them from the wind. it weighs nearly 2 tons. hanukkah is the eight day holiday marking the dedication of the holy temple in jerusalem. negotiations seem to be stalled in our nation's capitol. what are the odds of a deal getting done before disaster strikes in the fiscal cliff. we have optimism that our elected officials will rise to the occasion. >> i think everyone realizes how important it is. our economy is moving up some. not fast but some, and to go over the cliff would be terrible. i think we'll get an agreement. the reason i think we'll get an agreement, what's standing in the way is revenues, particularly making that top rate go up to 39.6 but we're seeing real progress. >> a unique moment in history

where every developed country in the world, economists on both sides of the aisle, know the greatest threat to our country is fiscal solve advancecy. the minority party is trying to leverage the country into doing something great for our nation. it's a unique time and i hope the president soon will see the light. >> joining me the chris wallace. good morning. >> good morning, jamie. >> interesting interviews with optimism. do you think that -- they really believe a deal will happen and is each side willing to make a move? >> well, both senators said they thought there would be a deal before the end of the year. i'm not sure it's going to be the grand bargain people are talking about. senator corker, like a lot of republicans, is basically talking about caving on the top tax rates. if they don't cave they'll go up at the he end of the year. the bush tax cuts lapse.

what they're talking about is let's extent bush tax cuts for the 98%, let them go up maybe not 39.6% but 37%, something like that. then next year, when the republicans have more leverage with the debt ceiling and also with the government running out of money, that's the point they go after the president on spending. both social programs as well as entitlement reform. i'm not sure you're going to get a big deal right now but you might get enough to avoid the fiscal cliff and then more fighting next year over spending. >> will republicans accept a 38% tax rate for the wealthy? and will democrats accept reductions in entitlement spending? >> that's a good question. corker would accept 37% but he speaks for a few senators. he doesn't speak for the house republican majority and john boehner though it seems to be

moving that direction. i'm not sure the president would accept 37% because i'm not sure he gets enough money. you need enough money, whether there's some -- yes, partial increase in rates and then some tightening of loopholes, but then again, so much of this talk has been about taxes and what the democrats have refused to talk about at this point is spending cuts and serious entitlement reform. republicans will demand there whether it's part of the deal in the fiscal cliff or to raise the debt limit. >> i'm glad you brought that up. in terms of spending, which clearly has to be cut, the president from the reports this week wants to raise the debt ceiling without asking anybody. did they comment on that? >> what he's saying is give me the unilateral right to raise the debt ceiling, which congress had has had to approve, then congress can disapprove with a two-thirds vote.

that would mean i could increase it when he wants. it's very unlikely that -- almost impossible, republicans in congress would go along seeding there kind of authority with the president. they might agree to increase the debt limit for enough money to take him through the end of the term. but they're not just going to give him or future presidents the authority to increase the debt limit. that's part of the power congress has. >> we hope to see them working hard at this, time getting close to the end of the year. >> 23 days and counting. >> keep the stopwatch going. happy sunday. >> you bet, thank you. >> don't miss chris wallace's interview. he's going to sit down where michael orrin to discuss the tension between israel and hamas. it airs at 6:00 p.m. and

6:00 p.m. eastern. don't miss it. >> startling new statistics on the danger the repeat head injuries. it could be more serious than thought. >> tips on how toe help your sex life. maintaining normal testosterone levels is vital. the doctors will be here answering questions and taking questions on the topic now. go to foxnews.com/sundayhousecall. they'll take the questions we get and answer them on the air coming up. [ male announcer ] more than a security system,

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welcome back, everybody. it's time for "sunday house call." joining us, dr. mark skiing siegel, associate professor of

med. and vice chairman of the department of urology at the mount sinai medical facility here. >> good morning. >> good to see you. we begin with a shocking report that has to do with the representative head injuries. how dangerous they can be. the researchers found substantial new evidence linking repeat concussion to say permanent brain injury. dr. siegel, when you are a kid you get your bell running and if you don't throw up, you're okay. go home. now we're seeing it has long-term effects. >> chronic traumatic enself lop think. we thought boxers had that. they had a risk of getting anger, getting depression, getting